Game reports April 20:
Age/Gender: U9 Girls
Location: Oak Grove Park/DDL Complex
Result: W 5-0/W 3-0
Players: Julia, Alivia, Dani, Elana, Quiterie, Shiloh, Madeline, Rachel
Goals: Shiloh 3x, Quiterie, Dani / Rachel 2x, Shiloh
Player of the match: Shiloh / Rachel
The girls opened their spring season league with two games last week. The first game was on Wednesday against CUSA and the second game was last Saturday against Springfield Thunder. The Lions played both games really strong, scored magnificent goals, and didn’t collect any goals. The first match was an outstanding performance what results in a 5-0 win. The girls performed both matches in a 2-2-1 formation with a solid defense, aggressiveness midfield, and a targeted striker. Also in their second game, they were the top team on the field and that results in a deserved 3-0 win. Defensively, The Lions were solid and focused from the beginning until the end of the match. The girls tried to build up if possible and after, tried to find space near the sideline of the field. To play with a strategy like this it is important that the midfielders run into this space across the sideline and use it to create scoring opportunities. Offensively, the Dayton Dutch Lions played very liberating and they put a lot energy in the game to pressure the opponent throughout the game. Especially when the goalkeeper of the opponent had the ball, it was visible that the lions put high-pressure to force mistakes. After the second game, coach Daan had the following to say about the two matches that the Dayton Dutch Lions FC played during weekend, “I’m very impressed with how quickly these girls learn during practice and matches. It’s good for the confidence of the team that we won the first two matches of the season but the most important thing is that we combine the development of each girl personally with their fun while playing soccer. The next game is on Friday and hopefully we can perform with the same quality as we did this weekend.”
Coach Daan had nominated Shiloh as a player of the match for the match on Wednesday. Coach Daan said: “It was absolutely an outstanding performance from Shiloh with three goals and she had a big influence on that win.” After the second game, Coach Daan nominated Rachel as a player of the match. Coach Daan said: “Rachel played her best match so far. Defensively, she had a lot of interceptions and offensively she scored an amazing opening goal and a second goal from distance.”
Age/Gender: U11 Girls
Location: West Carrollton
Result: T 2-2
Players: Erin, Aliana, Adler, Laura, Ava, Marayna, Nicole, Lauren, Hope, Mia
Goal(s): Own Goal, Erin
Player of the game: Nicole
Defensively, the girls had a solid performance covering the spaces, and giving support to their teammates. The girls were strong on their individual duels, showing assertive decisions, and good timing to step in and tackling the ball.
Offensively, the Lions had a very positive performance. They started the game willing to control the game, and displayed very good moments of soccer, with great individual skills. The girls were constantly involved on the attack, but most of the attacking situations were created on the flanks, individual initiatives, and through balls that led to lots of chances to score, but unfortunately the Lions weren’t able to finalize them.
Coach Paulo said after the game “I’m pleased the way the girls played today. The girls showed some improvement from the last game and were much more confident with the ball, aggressive without ball, and this is what we are expecting from them”.
After the game, Coach Paulo nominated Nicole as a player of the game and quoted “Nicole was a constant threat to the opposing team, especially in the 1st half of the game, where she had some good chances on 1v1 with the GK”. Continuing coach Paulo said, “Nicole showed some good individual skills/feints and succeeded most of the time, made good passes, and crosses assisting her teammates”.
Age/Gender: U11 Girls
Location: West Carrollton
Result: W 1-0
Players: Erin, Aliana, Adler, Laura, Ava, Marayna, Nicole, Lauren, Hope, Mia
Goal(s): Nicole
Player of the game: Hope
Defensively, the girls displayed a good organization for the majority of the game and were very supportive to each other, defending as a team. The defensive line was very organized, pushing up and dropping back as a unit. There was a lot of hustle in the midfield sector, mainly at the 2nd half of the game where the girls responded well, displaying good cover, tackles and defensive duels.
Offensively, the girls showed confidence with the ball, with good passes and combinations trying to increase the speed of play. The majority of the attacking situations were created with through ball to the flanks, which allowed the girls to use their speed to create a lot of chances with good shots on goal, especially during the 1st half of the game.
The Dutch Lions goal was scored at the 1st half by Nicole. The lions also had another great opportunity to score on a penalty kick but it was saved by the opponent keeper.
Coach Paulo said after the game “Today the girls played with a great attitude. They kept their focus on the game, and played well as a team. However, we could have done a little bit better on our movements off the ball, providing more option to the ball carrier”.
After the game, Coach Paulo nominated Hope as a player of the game and quoted “Hope played very well, she played in several positions but as a center midfield, that she stood out due to her good positioning and aggressiveness on the ball, winning several individual duels. On the attacking process,she was one of the players that always took the initiative to move forward with the ball and shoot on goal”.
Age/Gender: U12 Girls
Results: L 5-1
Players: Alexis, Audrey, Camlyn, Ellerie, Hannah, Ilana, Kira, Maddie, Mallory, Milan, Morgan
Goal(s): Camlyn
Player of the game: Camlyn
The U12 Lady Lions continued their Spring season this Wednesday in a tough match against the Springfield Thunder. The high pressure style of play of their opponents proved to be a challenge for the Lions as they were able to score four unanswered points in the first half. The ladies struggled to maintain organization making it easy for the Thunder to expose their defensive line with their size and pace.
At half time, the ladies were able to reflect on their play and reorganize as whole. The second half was much more competitive as the Lion’s created several dangerous opportunities of their own. Unfortunately, they were only able to capitalize on a single opportunity coming off the foot of Camlyn T.
Coach Katie had the following to say after the match: “Though tonight was a hard loss for us I think we ultimately showed that we can compete with this team. In the second half it was a 1-1 match; we started to move the ball around our opponents and it was clear that we had the right intentions. Now we need to be more consistent in our level of play” Coach Katie has nominated Camlyn as the player of the match. Camlyn played a key role for the Lion’s offense in the second half, scoring the team’s only goal and creating several of their opportunities.
Age/Gender: U12 Girls
Results: L 3-1
Players: Alexis, Audrey, Camlyn, Ellerie, Emma, Hannah, Ilana, Kira, Maddie, Mallory, Milan, Morgan
Goal(s): Hannah
Player of the game: Hannah
This week turned out to be a tough week of competition for the girl’s U12 Dutch Lion’s with another hard match on Sunday against GCSC United. The first half was evenly matched with both teams playing aggressive and creating several intense moments of scoring opportunities. The Lion’s keeper, Morgan S., came up big with several clutch saves. At halftime, the match remained scoreless. In the second half, the intensity of their opponents constant attack proved to be challenging for the Lions as they let three goals slip by in 20 minutes. Hannah W. scored the Lion’s only goal of the match as well as her first on the season.
After the match, coach Katie had the following to say: “This week’s games were tough for us but I believe there is positive that can be drawn from these losses. We are able to compete with these teams and if we can finish on our opportunities and maintain our focus through an entire match, the outcomes might be different.” Coach Katie has nominated Hannah as the player of the match. Hannah had a great performance tonight as she was able to distribute through the midfield to create opportunities as well as finish one of her own.
Age/Gender: U12 Boys
Location: West Carrollton
Result: W 1-0
Players: Julian, R.J., Owen, Gabe, Connor, Mick, Justin, Aaron, Hope, Jake, Mason, J.R.
Goal(s): Justin, Jake
Player of the game: Justin
Defensively, the boys struggled a little bit in the 1st half of the game. The lions gave some space to the opponents and they took the initiative, something that the boys were able to improve during the game.
At the 2nd half, the Lions found their defensive balance, were faster and more stronger, preventing the opposing team the ability to create scoring opportunities.
Offensively, the boys seemed to be a little bit insecure with the ball in the first minutes of the game, losing possession very fast and easily. With the course of the game, the boys found themselves and became more confident, but several times they opted for individual initiatives instead of collective solutions. The Dutch Lions goals scored goals in the 2nd half by Justin and Jake. The Lions also created a couple of good chances at the second half, close to the final whistle but it was not enough to reverse the goals conceded at the 1st half.
Coach Paulo said after the game “We didn’t have a good start to the game and conceded a very early goal, due to a lack of focus on the game and this is something that we have to be prepared for. Our attitude and focus were completely different at the second half of the game and is that kind of attitude that we want in every game we play”.
After the game, Coach Paulo nominated Justin as a player of the game and quoted “Justin had a good performance and work rate on offense and defense.
Age/Gender: U13 Boys
Location: Clear Creek (Cincinnati)
Players: Collin, Luke, Owen, Simon, Evan, Matthew, Dominic S., Robbie, John, Tommy, Dominic M., Dimitri, Jaden, Noah, Nick
Result: W 7-0
Goals: Noah (4), Collin, Jaden, John
The young lions have started their spring season in excellent form with 2 wins and 2 ties out of 4 games. In this game the team found itself mostly in attack and showed some very strong combination play and movement off the ball, forcing the opponent to chase the ball.
The pressure on the ball was good throughout the game forcing the opponent to make mistakes and lose possession of the ball in dangerous areas. The back line stayed connected and organized winning the duels every time they where asked to.
Coach Sid after the game, "It was a good game from our part, we possessed the ball well and the boys showed the right intention on and off the ball. We had majority of the possession, created many chances, scored 7 goals and kept the clean sheet today."
Age/Gender: U14 Girls
Location: DOC Stadium
Roster: Marissa, Nora, Alessandra, Muriel, Alicia, Ema, Rachel, Ashley, Emma, JJ, Sumera, Shelby, Nicole, Katie, Camille, Ainsley
Result: W 8-0
Goals: Emma (x5), Sumera, Rachel, Nora
Player of the Game: Emma
Offensively, the Lions did an excellent job getting numbers into the attack and maintaining possession of the ball in the final third of the field. Outside wingers were efficient with the ball and consistently served crosses into the box creating numerous scoring opportunities throughout the game. The Lions attack continued to display their confidence in front of goal and finished their chances to tally their third league win in a row.
Defensively, the Lions showed their leadership qualities and were disciplined in their positioning on the field. The Lion defenders are becoming more vocal with their teammates, which has helped maintain the defensive shape and has improved the team organization in the defending half of the field.
Coach Shane was quoted, "Another impressive performance from the U14 girls today. Our creativity and high work rate in attack continues to put us in dangerous scoring opportunities and girls are having success finding the back of the net. It is important we maintain our mental focus and continue putting in the effort to prepare ourselves for the next game!"
Coach Shane nominated Emma as the player of the game for her precise passing, outstanding positioning on and off the ball, and scored an impressive 5 goals to lead her team to victory.
Age/Gender: U14 Boys
Location: DOC Stadium
Result: L 1-2 (1-0)
Players: Caden, Hunter, Elijah T, Alfonso, TJ, Silas, Gradey, Garath, Ethan, Luke, Eli, Owen, Aaron, Connor
Goals: Luke
Player of the game: Caden
The Dutch Lions started really energetic and couldn’t ask for a better start, especially because the first shot on target was already successful. After the Lions scored this essential early goal, they played defensively wise in a compact organization. The opponent had no clue what to do against this type of playing style and that was the merits of the Dayton Dutch Lions FC. Further in the first half there arose more pressure on the defense of the Dutch Lions but it were the Lions themselves that created the best opportunities to score the next goal. The boys were outstanding in their counter attacks by moving the ball forward in a couple of seconds from their own half to the box of the opponent. The Lions deserved at least a second and third goal but at halftime, it was only 1-0. Throughout the second half, it was the opponent that enforced more and more to make the game tying goal. The Lions kept playing out a good organization to control the game but more pressure moments with breakouts from the Springfield Thunder became more of a factor in the 2nd half. Dayton Dutch Lions FC goalkeeper Caden played an impressive game with a couple of great saves. Late in the game, the Lions suddenly made a crucial decision by trying to build up with full pressure of the opponent and Springfield accepted this gift and scored the 1-1. The boys tried after this huge deception to get their head up again and score that winning goal that they deserved but it was the other team who had the last answer by scoring the go-ahead 2-1 goal.
After the game, Coach Daan had to following to say: “ My opinion is that we played our best match of the season so far. The team feels more comfortable when we play in a compact organization in a 4-3-3 formation with two wingers who can added defensively work for the team. Every match we played so far we created 100% chances but the main problem until now is that we don’t finish this opportunities and that leads to the fact that our defenders are feeling the pressure every single minute during the game.”
After the match, goalkeeper Caden was nominated as the player of the match. Coach Daan said: “Caden showed today an above expected performance. In the second half, he had a couple of great saves and kept our team competitive in this game.
Age/Gender: U15 Girls
Location: West Carrollton|DOC Stadium
Result: 2-0 W
Players: Grace T.; Sarah; Morgan; Meera; Emily; Paige; Peyton; Ashley; Kayla; Veronica; Grace P.; Olivia; Mollie; Grace Z.; Eva; Emma; Anna
Goal(s): Veronica / Eva
Player of the game: Mollie
Defensively, the team showed great character and sense of responsibility. The Dutch Lions girls kept good positioning throughout the game and they managed to control all the initiatives to build up and attempts to create danger of the opposite team. Part of the success today was based on the defensive transition moment with quick reactions after losing the ball either pressuring the ball carrier avoiding the counter attack or recovering on the field keeping the team balanced.
As it happened last week, the Dutch Lions girls team presented another dominant performance. They took control of the match from the beginning of the game with a great collective dynamic and a solid passing game. It was good to see how the girls found their options to move the ball on the ground by keeping the ball possession, mostly from the flanks where the ability and aggressiveness on the 1 v 1 duels made the difference. Besides the two goals scored, numerous chances were created. However, a lack of effectiveness and calm in the last moment avoided a more expressive result.
After the game coach Bruno had the following statement "I really enjoyed the game today, I think if we had scored a couple more goals it wouldn't be a surprise. However, that did not happened and it's something we need keep to working on, yet I'm pretty happy with our game. The girls had a terrific performance, very focused, and determined on defense with a great attitude and dynamic on offense, with constant runs off the ball and a consistent possession game based on short combinations and through balls with a nice speed of play" Continuing "I think the improvement is notorious, especially on the ball, the girls are now more confident and relaxed, a better understanding of the game moments, what also reveals more maturity and responsibility." To conclude coach Lopes said, "Today Mollie was nominated as player of the match. She had an immaculate game without mistakes, with her tackles or covering her teammates, she showed a great ability to read and anticipate the plays, which helped keep the defensive line organized."
Age/Gender: U15 Boys
Location: DOC Stadium (2 games)
Result Friday game: 1-1
Result Saturday game: 1-1
Players: Kyler, Aaron B., Richard, Jonathan C., Terry, Todd, Kevin, Caden, Aaron B., Dylan, Hunter, Jonathan C., Caleb & Stephen
Goal Friday game: Hunter
Goal Saturday game: Caleb
Player of the game Friday: Hunter
Player of the game Saturday: Dylan
Two ties over the weekend for the U15 Boys but very different games. On Friday the team was behind at half time and showed good fighting spirit and effort scoring a very nice goal in the second half and almost pulling out the win. While on Saturday the lions scored first but due to some lack of pressure on the ball, in a crucial area, conceded a goal during the second half.
Coach Sid had the following to say after the weekend, "In both games I notice the same thing, we work hard but do not always defend well... Both goals are an example of that, individual mistakes that end up costing us goals. In attack we show the right intention and at times the execution is excellent and it's fun to watch the guys play, but it is to inconsistent and we have to improve on that."
Age/Gender: U17 Girls
Result: L 4-0
Players: Maddie, MiKayla, Kaitlen, Hannah, Haley, Bekah, Natalie, Zoe, Autumn, Grace P., Morgan, Kayla, Grace T.
Player of the game: Hannah
In this afternoon’s U17 girl’s match, the Dutch Lions faced the Lady Warriors in an aggressive battle. The opponent’s speed and high, consistent pressure was able to break down the Lion’s defensive line on several occasions. Poor decision making on the ball created opportunities for counter attack, of which the Warriors capitalized on. Offensively, the Lions did not have their best performance either as they had difficulty connecting enough passes to build their attack.
Coach Katie had the following to say after the match: “Today we got out worked by our opponent. They won the majority of the 50/50 balls, they were more aggressive than us, and they were able to keep possession. Fortunately, I think the girls were able to reflect on their play, and will come better prepared for the next match”. Coach Katie has nominated Hannah as the player of the match. Hannah is a very versatile player and she plays a key role for the Lions both as a defensive midfielder and a center back.
Age/Gender: U17 Girls
Result: L 5-0
Players: Brooke, Maddie, MiKayla, Kaitlen, Hannah, Haley, Bekah, Natalie, Zoe, Autumn, Grace Z., Mollie, Olivia, Peyton
Player of the game: Grace Z.
The Dayton Dutch Lions U17 ladies played CSC Black this Sunday afternoon in their second tough match of the weekend. The ladies felt the pressure early on from their opponents as they were persistent in their attack from the beginning whistle. The Lion’s back line struggled to absorb the high pressure of their opponents strength and speed. Offensively, the Lion’s had difficulty keeping possession, allowing them to create few scoring opportunities.
Coach Katie had the following to say after the match: “Although we played a tough schedule this weekend and the results were not desirable, I think there’s a lot to learn and gain from our performances. Tomorrow’s a new day and next weekend there will be a new match. we have a lot to reflect on from this weekend and I’m eager to get to work next week at practice”. Coach Katie has nominated Grace Z. as player of the match. Grace plays a strong role in the the ladies defensive line when she gets the opportunity to play with the U17 ladies. she consistently plays with a high level of confidence and aggression.
Age/Gender: U18 Boys
Location: McLure
Result: 6-1 W
Players: Trent; Drew; Tristan; Marien; Micah; Cody; Makay; Matthew; Alex; Britton; Bradley; Trevor; Declan; Scott; Tony; Daniel; Wyatt; Collin
Goal(s): Makay (3) / Matthew / Britton / Micah
Player of the game: Makay
Despite the couple of counter attack resulted from long balls, the Dutch Lions boys had a solid defensive performance, they controlled all the initiatives of the opponent to build up and create danger on their last third of the field due a good pressure and a tremendous collective organization. It was really positive to see the lads covering each other multiple times and there was always someone covering the first defender, what ended up to be determinant on the end score and revealed a great team spirit.
Offensively, it was perhaps the best performance of this team. Besides the six goals scored, many other chances were created with majority of them due a great dynamic with constant movement, good space occupation (width and depth), and a high pace on the ball. The young Dutch Lions had moments of brilliance moving the ball around on the ground with short combinations and also from through balls reaching the last third of the field with good numbers and perfect notion about what to do, revealing more clarity and confidence.
After the game, coach Bruno was quoted, "There's not much to say about today's game, we dominated the entire match from the beginning until the final whistle, always with a positive attitude, it was almost a perfect performance. Everything we have been working on since the beginning of the season came out today, short combinations, constant movement, through balls, good space occupation, pressure… and more important a great team spirit. The boys showed more calm and confidence on the last moment to finish, something we have been missing last couple of games. They really did a great job here today and it was very pleasant for me as a coach to watch them play, I'm truly proud of them" to conclude "Today the collective was the key of the success, everyone without exception was determinant. However, Makay had a terrific performance besides the hat-trick, he was always very thoughtful of the ball and with a tremendous work ethic helping the team on defense with numerous balls recovered and good pressure moments."